RESIZE IMAGES

This instruction describes how to resize an image as required for:

• Club Electronic Digital Image (EDI) competitions;
• Club Photo Gallery and
• FCC, National and International EDI competitions.

The parameters which need to be set are:

• The colour space which is always sRGB IEC61966-2.1;
• Maximum horizontal dimension and maximum vertical dimension in pixels and
• Maximum file size

Notes

1. See competition rules. Usually 500KB
2. See competition rules. International competitions often demand high quality images

Photoshop

This instruction will work on Photoshop 6, 7, CS, CS2 and CS3 with slight variation as shown.

1. Make a Copy

The following operations may modify the original image. Therefore either:

• Carry out the process on a copy of the original file or
• Close the original file without saving

2. Convert to sRGB Colour Profile

Note that it is best to convert an image to the required colour profile before working on it. For example for RAW images use Camera Raw to set Space to sRGB IEC61966-1.

Photoshop CS2 and CS3 - Go to Edit menu and select Convert to Profile. If the source space is not sRGB then select sRGB IEC61966-2.1 for the Destination Space Profile.

Photoshop CS and earlier - Go to Image menu and select Mode then choose Convert to Profile. If the source space is not sRGB then select sRGB IEC61966-2.1 for the Destination Space profile.

3. Save for Web

Go to the File menu and select Save for Web (CS3 - Save for Web & Devices).

Select Image Size, check Constrain Proportions and under Quality select Bicubic Sharper (Photoshop CS and later) or Bicubic (Photoshop 7 and earlier).

The aspect ratio is the ratio of the horizontal size in pixels to the vertical size in pixels.

If the aspect ratio is greater than or equal to 4:3 (i.e. the image is landscape in shape) then set the Width to 1024 pixels.

If the aspect ratio is less than 4:3 (i.e. the image is portrait or square in shape) then set the Height to 768 pixels. Note that a square image will be exactly 768 (W) x 768 (H) pixels.

Click Apply. After the conversion double check that the Width is not greater than 1024 pixels and the Height is not greater than 768 pixels.

Select JPEG and set the quality to Maximum. Check the ICC Profile box to embed the sRGB profile.

Alternative 1 - Move the Quality slider (0 - 100) to adjust the File Size (shown in the lower left of the dialogue box) so that it complies with the application requirements (see Table 1).

Alternative 2 - Click on the Optimize Menu arrow to the right of Preset and select "Optimize to File Size." When the dialogue box opens enter the desired file size (see Table 1) and click OK.

Dialogue box - lower left	Dialogue box - upper right

Click Save. In the file dialogue box use the following file name.

4. Send your entry

If you have Internet access email your entry to the NCP competition email address at least 24 hours before the start of the competition. If you do not know the email address then contact the Webmaster and be sure to save the address in your contacts. If you do not have Internet access or you wish to make a late entry then transfer the images onto a CD and bring it along on the competition night.

FAQ

Q: Would it not be easier for all images to be submitted on CD?
A: Downloading images from the mail server takes a few seconds and also has the advantage that a printed recording sheet may be produced. Transfering images from a CD to a notebook is time consuming and not practical on the competition night. This method is only available for the minority of members without Internet access.

Q: I do not trust email to reliably send my images.
A: Bring along your images on a CD. Check the list of titles received at the recording desk, and if any images are missing drop the CD in to the box. The NCP email address has a storage capacity of 2.6GB which is sufficient for about 5,000 images. Emailing one image attachment at a time may improve reliability of transmission.

Q: What happens to the images after the competition?
A: The images are stored on the mail server for one year to assist with selection of images for the FCC Interclub. They are then deleted.

Q: I would like to make my image occupy the whole of the projected area.
A: Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Under Style select Fixed Aspect Ratio, in Width insert 4 and in Height select 3. Make your selection, then under Image select Crop. After the above process is followed the resulting image will be exactly 1024 x 768 pixels.

Q: My image e.g. 1024 x 400 pixels does not occupy the whole of the screen. How does the rest of the image appear?
A: The slide viewer software will display this area in a neutral gray or black colour. If you wish to have control over this you may extend the canvas size to the full 1024 x 768 pixels and select your own fill colour.

Q: Why use the sRGB colour space?
A: The data projector supports and is calibrated for the the sRGB colour space. Provided your monitor is suitable calibrated the image should be the same on both monitor and data projector.

Q: What happens if I do not use the sRGB colour space?
A: The image will not be displayed accurately. For example Adobe sRGB colour space images will lose a lot of their punch while Apple RGB images will appear too dark.

Feedback welcome. Last updated 14/12/08.